EP-B-0,474,660 describes a fish bait suitable for the long line fishing industry comprising a natural bait material enclosed in a porous casing and cut into short lengths. The casing is made of a semi-permeable membrane and a mesh tube. The mesh tube provides structural strength for the bait package and ensures the retention of the bait by a hook. The semi-permeable membrane protects the natural bait material whilst allowing attractants to permeate through it into the sea to attract fish. This fish bait remains on the hook consistently as a result of the reinforcing mesh tube and remains effective for a long period of time as the attractants contained within the bait are metered out slowly through the semi-permeable membrane. The bait is very much cleaner and easier to use than pieces of raw fish, for example, and because it can be made to a standard uniform size, multi-hook line deployment, particularly using an automatic baiting machine, is more efficient.